Cauliflower and Bean Soup
I was at the store yesterday shopping for Victor's mom when I espied a display of cauliflower. Humongous heads of cauliflower. Cauliflower on steroids heads of cauliflower. For 2 bucks. I had to get one.
A head of cauliflower this size is like those huge stalks of brussels sprouts - a serious commitment for two people.
Not being commitment-shy, I grabbed one.
I think when I first saw it I thought "soup" although a dozen or two recipe ideas have filtered through the little gray cells. Au gratin to cheese sauce and everything in between...
Soup won.
But I did do a slightly different spin on it. I soaked a pound of cannelini beans last night to make a bean and cauliflower soup, because, well... gee... that 900 pound head of cauliflower definitely wouldn't feed the two of us... (I do wonder about myself, sometimes...)
But I digress...
I actually wanted a bit more substance than mere cauliflower and I didn't want to add a ton of cheese or cream - my two normal go-to ingredients for cauliflower soup. And that bag of cannelini beans was right there sitting on the shelf...
Cauliflower and Cannelini Bean Soup
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 links good-quality andouille sausage, diced
- 1 pound cannelini beans, cooked and drained
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 huge head cauliflower
- 1 8 oz brick light cream cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
Saute onion and diced andouille until onion is translucent. Add stock and bring to boil. Add cauliflower florettes.
Cover and simmer until cauliflower is cooked and mushy.
Add drained beand and coarsely puree using an immersion blender. Make it as smooth or chunky as you like.
Add cream cheese and mix until smooth and cheese is melted.
Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if deseired.
The soup was t-h-i-c-k and really filling. Perfect cold-weather fare. Bread still warm from the oven finished the meal - and me.
The andouille added all the spices the soup needed. The main reason I recommend a good-quality andouille. You don't need to add anything else. The beans (and the cream cheese) added the silkiness a plain cauliflower soup would lack, but the cauliflower flavor still came through loud and clear.
It was the best of all worlds.
So we now have soup to last us for days/weeks/months. I'm glad the freezer has been getting emptied.
Time to add a few more containers.....
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Monday Pasta Night from La Cucina Italiana Magazine showcases a classic, tonight. Not a "been around since the beginning of time" classic but a classic nonetheless.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara is a rather recent addition to the Italian culinary landscape. There is no mention of it prior to WWII and quite possibly came about after the war from foods being supplied by GIs. The first record of it has it as a Roman dish.
But regardless of its origins, it's one of the simplest - and tastiest - pasta dishes one can imagine. Leave it to the Italians to take simplicity to such heights!
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Though hearty and delicious, this classic pasta comes together with ingredients almost always on hand.
Ingredients
- Fine sea salt
- 7 ounces thick-sliced flat pancetta or bacon
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese plus more for sprinkling
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut pancetta into ¼-inch batons. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, grated cheeses, 1/3 cup water, and generous pinch salt and pepper. In a medium nonstick skillet, combine pancetta and oil; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 15 minutes.
About halfway through pancetta cooking time, cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente (ideally pancetta and pasta will be ready at about the same time). Reserving ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and return to pot. Add pancetta and its rendered fat; toss to combine. Immediately add egg mixture and 2 tablespoons pasta cooking liquid; quickly stir to combine. Moisten with additional pasta cooking liquid, if desired. Serve immediately, passing cheese and pepper at the table.
The cheese and the egg yolks meld with the spaghetti to create a rich and creamy dish that defies description. The black pepper offsets the salty bite of the cheeses.
It really is perfection on a plate.
Knowing it was Pasta Monday, I picked up a loaf of Italian bread this morning and Victor turned it into a simple garlic toast. Great crunch and perfect for sopping up the last bits of sauce on the plate.
Another keeper.
15 down. 5 to go.